Submerged pumping unit



May 26, 1925. 1,539,195

A. KREMSER SUBMERGED PUMPING UNIT Filed March 29' 1922 2 Sheets-Sheet l I n z3.

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May 26, 1925. 1,539,195

A. KREMSER SUBMERGED PUMPI NG UNIT Filed March 29, 1922 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 if? 'l i, l*

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p Patented May 26, 1925.

PATENT OFFICE.

ALoIs KREMSER, or sAN FRANCISCO, CALIFORNIA SUBMERGED PUMPING UNIT.

Application flled March 29, 1922'. Serial No. 547,8,32.

To all lwhom it may concern.' i

Be it known that I, ALors KREMSER, a citizen of the Republic of Austria, residing at the city and county of San Francisco and State of California, have invented new and useful Improvements in submerged Pumping Units, of which the following is a specification.

This invention relates to deep well pumps of the centrifugal and like type, and par ticularly to an electric driving unit adapted to be submerged and directly connected thereto.

Most deep well pumps in use today, par ticularly multi-stage, centrifugal and like pumps, are driven from the surface of the well by a shaft which extends therefrom through the well casing down to the pump. Such shafts are often several hundred feet long; and require numerous bearings. together with an enclosing tube to permit proper lubrication and to exclude sand and grit which may be carried by the discharging water. This arrangement, although subject to several variations or modifications, is practically standard at the present time and it is not only expensive to manufacture, but also diiiicult to install and main tain as the bearings are subject to wear and difficult to keep in alignment, hence causing a gradual increase in power consumption and general reduction in efficiency. p

The present invention involves an electric drive and proposes to submergc both the driving unit and the pump, thereby eliminating shaft installations such as referred to and avoidingefficiency losses and the cost and difficulties of maintenance connected therewith.

The object of the present invention is to generally improve mrd simplify submerged to provide a novel structure and housingr whereby water may be readlly excluded from the motor and bearings; a structure whichV will permit a maximum diameter of motor when comparison is made with the surrounding and enclosing well casing, and further to provide a simple driving connection whereby power may be transmitted from the motor to the impeller of the pump. Other objects will hereinafter appear,

The invention consists of the parts and the construction, combination and arrange- `or stator 14 and a rotor 15.

ment of parts as hereinafter more fully described and claimed, having reference to the accompanying drawings, in which- Fig. 1 is a. central vertical section of a well showing the'installation ofthe submerged pumping unit-forming the subject matter of the present application. f

Fig. 2 is a similar section showing a modified form of construction.

Referring to the drawings in detail, and particularly to- Fig. 1, A indicates ama'in well casing, B a. deep well pump of the turbine or centrifugal type, C an electric motor, D a discharge casing, and E a head member whereby connection is formed between the discharge casing, the motor and the pump.

The head member consists of an annular casting 2, which is threaded atits upper end, as at 3 and 4, to receive the discharger easing D and a central communicating discharge casing 5, the purpose of which will hereinafter appear.

Forming a part of the casting 2, or secured thereto as at 6, is a. lower casting 7 to which is secured, as at 8, an exterior casing 9. The casing sections 5 and 9 are concentric with relation to each other and interspaced as shown, and they are provided for the purpose of enclosing the motor C and a series of superposed bearings generally indicated at l0. 11 and 12; the bearing 11 being of the antifriction type and serving as a thrust bearing, while the bearings 10 and 12 are radial bearings and as such may beconstructed as desired. The motor employed may be of suitableconstruetion and is here illustrated by an annular field This rotor is secured to a shaft 16 which is sleeve like m form and surrounds the central discharge' casing 5. The upper end of the motor shaft 16 is secured, as indicated at 17, to a sleeve bearing 18, which in turn is supported and guided b v the bearings 11 and 12, respectively. The lower end of the motor shaft is directly connected to the pump or impellor shaft, indicated at 19, by means of an i1npeller 20 and a running joint is maintained between the impeller and the upper end of the pump housing as shown at 21. This joint may be packed with a suitable form vof stuffing box. if desired;

The specific construction of the pump B is of no particular importance as far as the present invention is concerned as it may be, changed to snit various installations and in fact while a centrifugal single stage pump is here illustrated. it is obvious that. several stages may be employed and that other types ot' rotating pumps may beemployed. The lower end of the pump is provided with the usual inlet or suction passage 22. while the upper end is provided with a discharge passage Q3. Suitable bearings are provided for the shaft 19, as at 24 and 25, and as the.

lshaft 19 and the two impellers illustrated are directly connected to the motor shaft, it is obvious that thrust bearings in th:` pump proper may be entirely eliminated.

The present invention involves seve al important t'eatures. first it will be seen that the motor proper is enclosed by a housing which consists ot two concentric casings such as indicated at 5 and 9. These. casings are. carried by the head member E and are sealed with relation thereto. They will in this manner form an annular chalnber which is sealed or closed at the upper end and an air trap is thus formed which will positivelyr exclude water which might have a tendency to enter through the running joint or bearing Q1. A small amount ot water might enter through this joint.v but as itcollects in the lower portion of the annular chamber indicated at 30. a' will be trapped and com pressed above the same and further leakage and entrance of water will thereby ybe prevented.- Again. if the distance between the lower radial vbearing and the running,r joint 21 is fairly short. and it is desired to positivelj.v exclude all water from said bearing. it is possible to accomplish this by connecting the annular chamber with a pipe 31, which may be supplied with air under pressure ot' any suitable source.` Bv this construction water is readily excluded without resorting to complicated or costly structures or employing stntling boxes which will have to be repacked from time. totime. and pert'ect operation of the motor may therefore be depended upon. Second. by designing the motor as shown and placing it inthe annular chamber Yformed. a. maximum diameter with relation to the well casing A may be obtained. This is of great importance as it would otherwise be necessary to provide a motor ot' considerable length when e-iven power and speed are considered. Third, a simple and direct driving connection is formed between the motor and pump shaft by means of the coupling indicated at 20. This coupling is provided with water passages 2Oa and as these are placed on a suit-- able pitch. an impeller is in reality 'formed which will receive the discharge from the opening 23 and if anything add to the head produced b v the main impellers of the pump. In actual practice the passages il may be so constructed that the impeller 20 is i11- active, that is the pasages may be so designed that they merely permit a free flow of the water discharging from the pump. However it can readily be seen that it is a simple matter to so design the passages that a slight head will be imparted, and as this is the case such construction would appear preferable. Fourth, by the general construclion disclosed submersion of the entire unit is permitted and ditiiculties and efficiency losses such as are usually encountered where a surface drive is employed are entirely eliminated. Construction cost is furthermore reduced. and if occasion demands the entire unit may be removed from the main well casingKA without encountering any extraordinary ditliculties, in at least much less time than where i-t is necesary to remove the entire drive shaft, the bearings supporting the same, the enclosing tube. the discharge casing` etc., as these several units have to be dismembered piece by piece before the pump can be raised to the surface. ln the present instance it would only be necessary to dismember the discharge casing-D, and this can certainly be accomplished in a fraction ot time when comparison is made with the standard installations in use today.

The bearings employed in the present iustallation are certainly reduced to a minimum when comparison is made with standard installations and as these may be lubricated by means of a. tube extending to the surface, maximum life thereof should be secured. The wires leading to the motor proper may similarly be carried in al tube which will enter through the head member E and as this tube will be sealed, escape of the trapped air or entrance of water will readily be prevented.

The structure so t'ar disclosed is possibly the preferred form, but variations thereof may be resorted to as disclosed in Fig. 2 of the drawings. The motor employed in that instance is similar in construction and mounting to that disclosed in Fig. 1. The head member E is also very similar` but the main pum-ping unit is interposed between said head member and the discharge casing D as indicated at 50. Such disposition of the pump may be advantageously resorted to. particularly in large installations as it permits a liberal disposition and arrangement of the pump bearings. The driving connection between the pump shaft 19 and the motor shaft 16 is identical to that disclosed in Fig. l as an impeller coupling, such as illustrated at 20. is employed. The general construction is otherwise practically the same. as an annular chamber is provided` the upper end of which is sealed to form an air tra-p. This air trap prevents admission of water as previously stated and thereby eliminates the necessity of expensive bearings and elaborate stutling boxes, etc. The

same advantages regarding motor construction. and particularly the diameter thereof. are obtained. Free and liberal passages for the discharge of water are similarly secured. and construction costs and maintenance charges will be practically identical.

lVhile certain features of the present invention are more or less specifically illustrated. I wish it understood that various changes in form and proportion may be lcsorted to within the scope of the appended claims, similarly that the materials and finish of the several pants employed may be such as the experience and judgment. of the manufacturer may dictate or various uses may demand.

Having thus described my invention. what I claim and desire to secure by Letters Patent isl. A deep well pumping unit comprising an electric motor, a pump driven thereby, said pump having an inlet and a discharge connectioina hollow shaft in the motor, a stationary pipe extending through the hollow motor shaft, and means for directing the. discharge from the pump through said stationary pipe.

2. In a. structure of the character de scribed. an inner and anrouter stationary housing forming an annular chamber, sealed air tight at the upper end. the inner stationary housing serving as a fluid passage, and a motor in said annular chamber.

3. In a structure of the character described an inner and an outer stationary housing forming an annular chamber, sealed air` tight at the upper end. the inner stationary housing serving as a. fluid passage. and an electric lnotor in said chamber and journalled to rotate about said cent. 1al passage.

4. In a structure of the character described an inner and an outer stationary housing forming an annular chamber. sealed air tight at the upper end. the inner stationary housing serving as a fluid passage, an electric motor within said annular chamber. a. sleeve shaft. for said motor journalled in the chamber and exterior of the inner housing. a coupling member secured to the lower end of said shaft. and a closure for the lower end of the annular chamber forming a running joint with said coupling.

5. In a structure of the character described, an inner and an outer stationary housing forming an annular chamber, sealed air tight at one end. the inner stationary housing serving as a fluid passage, a pump adjacent one end of said housing, a motor shaft, an impeller in the pump, and means for transmitting power from the motor shaftto the impeller.

6. In a structure of the character described, a hollow motorshat, an impeller driven thereby, and a stationary fluid conducting member eXt-ending through the motor shaft. i

i'. In a structure of the character described a hollow motor shaft, 'a concentric pump shaft and an impeller forming a coupliug between the same.

S. In a structure of the character described. an inner and an outer stationary housing. said housing members being interspaced and formingan annular chamber, sealed air tight at one end. the inner stationary housing serving as a fluid passage, a pump in communication with said passage, an impeller in said pump. and means forn'iing a ydriving connection bet-Ween the motor and the impeller.

' 9. In a. "structure of the` character described, an inner and an outer stationary housing, said housing members being interspaced and forming an annular chamber. sealed air tight at one end. the inner stationary housing serving as a fluid passage.

a. pump in communication rwith `said passage. an impeller in said pump. a hollow motor shaft surrounding the fiuid passage. and a driving connection between the motor shaft and impeller.

l0. In a structure of the character described an inner and an outer stationar)r housing. said housing members being interspaced and forming an annular chamber. sealed air tight at one end. the inner stationary housing serving as a fluid passage, a pump in communication with said passage. a hollow motor shaft surrounding the fluid passage, a pump shaft concentric with said passage. and an impel'ler forming a coupling between the. pump and the motor shaft. l

1l. A submerged pumping unit of the character described comprising an inner and an outer stationary housing. said housing members being interspaced and concentrn` to form an annular chamber. means forming an air tight closure for the upper end of said chamber, a. pump housing connected with the lower end of the exterior housing. a motor journalled within the annular chamber. a hollow motor shaft exterior of the inner housing. a. shaftl in the pump. and means forming a coupling between said. shaft and the motor shaft. said means forming a running joint between the lower end of the annular chamber and the pump.

12. A submerged pumping unit of the character described comprising an inner and an outer stationary housing. said housing members being interspaced and connectric to form an annular chamber, means forming an air tight closure for the upper end'ofsaid chamber, a pump housing connected with the lower end of the exterior housing, a motor journalled within the annular chamber, a hollow motor shaft exterior oi the inner housing, a shaft in the pump, means forming a coupling between said shaft and the motorshaft, said means forming a. ruiming joint between the-lower end of the annular chamber and the pump, bearings within the chamber in which the motor shaftl is journalled, and means for admitting air Linder pressure to said chamber.

13. A submerged deep well pumping unit of the character described comprising an inner and an outer casing. interspaced with relation to each other to form an annular chamber, a head member forming an air tight closurevior the upper ends of said casing members, saidinner housing member forming a. fluid discharge passage, a. discharge casing, means forming a connection between the head member and the discharge casing, a motor within the annular charnber, a pump casing attached to the lower end of the motor enclosing casing, a shaft in said pump housing. a tubular motor shaft` an impeller forming a coupling hetweenvthe motor shaft. and pump shaft, and means cooperating therewith forming a, running joint and closure between the impeller and the lower end ot the motor enclosing housing members. Q

14. The combination withI the discharge casing of a deep well pump, ot a pump. an inner and an outer casing section interposed between the pump and the discharge easing and connecting the pump and the discharge casing, said inner casing forming a. communicating discharge passage between the pump and the discharge. casing and being stationary` an electric motor iournalled in an annular chamber formed between the intermediate casing sections, means for excluding water from said motor. and the chamber tormedhctweeu said casing sections, an impeller in the pump, andi means forming a driving connection hetween the motor and said impeller.

15. The combination with a well casing, of a discharge pipe extending downwardly through the same, a pumping unit secured to the lower end of said pipe and supported thereby, said unit comprising an electric motor, a water-tight housing, and a pump, a hollow shaft in the motor by which the pump is driven, a stationary pipe extending through the. hollow motor shaft, and means for directing the discharge from the pump through the stationary pipe to the discharge pipe.

16. l. pump of the character described comprising an upper and a. lower section, an exterior tube connecting the same, a central stationary tube secured to the upper section, said tube and the exterior tube forming an air-tight annular chamber, a motor in said chamber, a hollow shaft in the motor and surrounding the stationary inner tube, a. pump secured to the lower member, and means for direct-ing the discharge from the pump into the stationary inner tube. i

17. A pump of the character described comprising upper and lower sections, a tube connecting the same, a stationary inner tube secured to the upper section, said tube and the exterior tube forming an annular air-tight chamber. a pump connected to the lower section and having ay discharge connection communicating with the stationary central tube, and a motor in the annular chamber and adapted to drive the pump.

18. A pump of the character described comprising a pair of interspaeed end seetions, a tube connecting the same, a stationary inner tube connected to one of the sections and cooperating with the first named section to form an annular air-tight chamber, a pump connected with the stationary tube and in communication therewith, and a motor in the annular chamber and adapted to drive the pump.

ALOIS KREMSER. 

